In 2019, the Oakland Raiders, now the Las Vegas Raiders, made a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire Antonio Brown, a highly talented wide receiver with a controversial history off the field.
The trade involved giving up two draft picks, a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick, to bring Brown to Oakland.
"The Steelers won too... I think the Steelers will be better next year without Antonio Brown. I think this was addition by subtraction."@RealSkipBayless on Antonio Brown's trade to the Raiders pic.twitter.com/LTb0RAPmIS
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) March 11, 2019
At the time of the trade, Antonio Brown was considered to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, having had six consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards and a total of 74 touchdown receptions. However, he had also become known for his controversial behavior, including conflicts with his team, fines for violating the NFL's dress code, and a sexual assault allegation.
The drama began almost immediately after Brown arrived in Oakland.
He missed several practices and preseason games due to injuries caused by frostbite on his feet, which he suffered due to improper footwear during cryotherapy. Additionally, he refused to comply with the NFL's new helmet regulations, leading to further conflicts with the team.
GM Kevin Colbert sat down to discuss the trade of Antonio Brown to the Raiders. pic.twitter.com/qMGMS8r44C
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) March 13, 2019
The situation escalated when Brown got into a heated argument with Raiders general manager Mike Mayock, threatening to punch him in the face. As a result, the Raiders decided to release Brown before the start of the regular season, which meant that they had given up two draft picks for a player who never even played a regular season game for them.
The incident was widely seen as a cautionary tale for other teams considering taking on players with a history of off-field issues, and highlighted the importance of carefully evaluating the potential risks and rewards of such trades. Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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